real, reel

Real or real means actually existing, as opposed to imaginary; or genuine, as opposed to fake--
We'll never know the real story.
Is that real gold?

Reel or reel ( rhymes with reel ) means a rotating device used to wind up or let out line, rope, wire, or thread--
He couldn't wait to try out his new fishing reel.
You'll have to change the reel when the film projector stops.
Reel also means to spin or sway--
That music makes my head reel.
They wondered if he had been drinking when they saw him reel.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"My grandfather's fishing reel is now a real antique."

Note--not to be confused with real ( ree-all ), a Spanish silver coin used long ago.
He found an old real on the beach, and wondered if there was a shipwreck nearby.
Note # 2--a "reel" is a kind of folk dance--
They all learned to do the Virginia reel.
Note # 3--"areel" ( one word ) is an old-fashioned word for spinning or dizzy--
The blinking lights set his head areel.
Not to be confused with "a real"--
Is that a real gold piece?
Or "a reel" ( two words ), a rotating device--
He wants a reel for his fishing rod.

peer, pier

Peer or peer means to look at keenly or closely--
She would peer at the neighbors from behind the curtains.
Without his glasses, he seemed to peer at people with a look of suspicion.

Peer also means an equal, often used to mean the equal of a titled person or lord, as in England--
The queen named him a peer of the realm.
The British still retain the right to be tried by a jury of their peers.

Pier or pier ( rhymes with peer ) means a walkway or structure  built over the ocean or a river--
They built an amusement park on the pier.
They liked to stand on the pier and look at the ocean.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"She would stand on the edge of the pier and peer at the river, looking for boats."

Note--"appear" means to come into view--
"when what to my wondering eyed should appear..."
Not to be confused with "a pier", a structure built over the water--
They planned to build a pier on the riverfront.
Not to be confused with "a peer", meaning an equal--
The veterans considered him a peer after two years on the job.

recent, resent, re-sent

Recent or recent ( Ree sent ) means not long ago, or not long past--
Do you have information on the recent changes in the schedule?
His recent illness has left him behind in his work.

Resent or resent (  ree ZENT ) means to feel insulted or put out--
I resent your attitude!
He tried not to resent being stuck with the dirty work.

Re-sent may also mean sent again. It may be spelled "resent" or "re-sent"--
Your email has been re-sent.
Your message was resent.

Now that you know that, you can say--
" I was re-sent a recent email about how much the employees resent the change in work rules."

Note--not to be confused with "rescind", meaning to abrogate or nullify a contract or legal offer--
The coach decided to rescind his offer of a place on the team.

band, banned

Band or band means a group of musicians who play together--
The teens like to text about their favorite band.
The marching band performed at halftime.
Band or band also means a ring or loop--
They all admired her wedding band.
Do you have a rubber band?

Banned or banned ( rhymes with band ) is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) of "ban", meaning to prohibit or forbid--
Alcohol is banned at all of the school sporting events.
"Banned in Boston" was once an advertisement for a scandalous novel.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The college marching band was banned from the parade because of their bad behavior."

Note--"banded" is the past tense of "band", meaning to put a band on something, or to form a band--
The scientist banded the leg of the bird.
They banded together in high school, but lost touch in later years.
"Banded" may also describe a creature with a band or stripe across its body.
They caught the bird and banded its leg.
They saw a banded armadillo in their headlights.
Note # 2--"band it" ( two words ) may be an instruction to "band" something--
If you can catch the bird by the leg, band it.
Not to be confused with "bandit" ( one word ) meaning a highwayman or robber--
The bandit told the passengers to "stand and deliver".

row, roe

Row or row ( rhymes with no ) means a set of things in a line--
We planted a row of cabbages and a row of beans.
"...and pretty maids all in a row."
Row also means to propel a boat or ship by pulling oars--
"Row, row, row your boat..."
You can row on the way back.

Roe or roe ( rhymes with no ) means fish eggs--
Shad roe is a local favorite.
All caviar is roe, but not all roe is caviar.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Row the boat to the edge of the lake, and we'll see if we can catch a fish with its roe."

Note--"row" pronounced to rhyme with "now" is a British expression for a fight or argument--
He criticized her cooking and started a row.
Note--"roe" also describes a kind of European deer--
They spotted a roe deer nibbling on the hedge.

barren, baron

Barren or barren means lifeless and empty--
The barren landscape was depressing to look at.
He felt homesick when he saw the barren desert.

Baron or baron is a title of nobility, in countries where some people are aristocrats--
They invited the baron to tea, and spent all week getting ready for his visit.
The count considered the young baron an upstart.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The baron stopped his horse and looked out over the barren plains."

Note-- "barony"  means the land or estate of a baron--
He was granted the barony by the king.

need, knead

Need or need means a necessity, or to lack something necessary--
They need to have the roof fixed.
We'll have to save our money or we won't be able to afford what we need.
A telephone is now considered a need. It's hard to get a job without one.

Knead or knead ( rhymes with need ) means to work dough by squeezing, folding and pressing--
Knead the dough until it is of a uniform consistency.
The old woman wasn't able to knead the dough for pastry after her illness.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"You will need to knead the bread dough for 10 minutes, or it won't come out right."

Note--you may see the word "kneed", the past tense of "knee", used as a verb ( action word ), meaning to strike someone with the knee--
He kneed the attacker in the stomach and ran away.
Not to be confused with "kneel", meaning to get on one's knees, or its past tense, "knelt"--
They were supposed to kneel at that part of the service, but she forgot.
The preacher knelt down to pray.

futile, feudal

Futile or futile means useless or pointless; having no effect--
Every attempt to make this work has been futile.
He smiled in a futile attempt to calm the angry woman.

Feudal or feudal describes the social, political and economic system of the Middle Ages ( 1500-500 years ago )--
In a feudal society, everyone but the king was a vassal of someone else.
The power structure in some modern corporations is similar to a medieval feudal system.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"All attempts to modernize the feudal system were futile."

Note--"feudalism" is the noun ( thing or idea ) form of "feudal"--
Tenant farming was similar to feudalism.
The power structure of feudalism made a pyramid.

Note # 2--"futility" is the noun ( thing or idea ) form of "futile"--
This meeting has been an exercise in futility.

plate, plait

Plate or plate means a dish--
Put the sandwiches on a plate.
She wanted to hang the pretty plate on the wall..
Plate or plate also means a coating of metal--
The watch  was covered in gold plate.

Plait or plait ( rhymes with plate or with flat ) means a braid made of three strands of hair, yarn, rope, or string--
The girl wore her hair in a long plait.
Plait may be used as a verb ( action word )--
She like to watch her mother plait her hair.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"If you make three coils of clay and plait them, you can make a decorative edge on the plate."

Note--"plating" means a coating of metal--
They are plating his baby shoes with bronze.
"Plaiting" means made with braids--
This ribbon plaiting will look nice on the edge of the picture.
"Plaiting" also means making braids --
She is upstairs plaiting her hair.

physical, fiscal

Physical or physical means having to do with the body, or with what is tangible, as opposed to spiritual or intellectual--
Some people prefer digital books to physical paper books.
The supervisor's physical presence made them all uncomfortable.
Physical is also a term for a medical check-up--
The insurance company insisted that he get a physical.

Fiscal or fiscal ( fiss cuhl ) means having to do with money or finances, especially public finances--
They are deciding on a budget for the next fiscal year.
He had to sign an affidavit of fiscal responsibility.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"They often discussed fiscal matters, but never thought of physical coins or currency."

Note--"physically" is a modifying or describing form of "physical"--
He found her physically attractive, but annoying.
Not to be confused with "fiscally", the adverb form of "fiscal"--
His boss considered him fiscally irresponsible, and said so in his report.

night, knight

Night or night means the part of the day when it is dark--
He liked to keep all of the lights on at night.
He doesn't like to drive at night.

Knight or knight ( rhymes with night ) means a noble vassal of a king or lord--
The queen made the music star a knight.
He dreamed of being a medieval knight in armor.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The knight never wore his armor at night."

Note--to "be knighted" means to be made a knight by the king or queen--
He wanted to be knighted by the queen so that people would call him "sir".

Note # 2-- "benighted" ( rhymes with be knighted ) means in the dark, mentally--
He considered everyone benighted unless they were familiar with the latest technology.

Note # 3--"nightly" means every night--
They like to watch the nightly news show.
Not to be confused with "knightly", meaning having the manners of a knight, or belonging to a knight--
His knightly courage made him famous throughout the kingdom.

moat, mote

Moat or moat means the man-made body of water that surrounds a castle--
Knights had to lower the drawbridge to cross the moat of a castle.
The estate was surrounded by a moat, like a medieval castle.

Mote or mote ( rhymes with moat ) means a small grain or speck--
The smallest mote of dust caught her eye.
"Let me cast out the mote that is in thine eye..."

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Each beam of sunlight on the water in the moat looked like a mote of sparkling dust."

Note--the borrowed French word "mot" ( pronounced "moe" ) means a witty remark--
Ah! That is a bon mot.
"Mot" is also an old-fashioned term  for one note of a bugle--
It took only a mot to rouse the troops to action.
Note # 2--"moot" ( rhymes with boot ) means having no practical or real effect--
The students learned to argue law by participating in a moot court.
"Moot" may describe a point of an argument that can't be won or settled--
We can argue all day. The point is moot.

illusion, allusion

Illusion or illusion ( ih loozh un ) means something that is pretend, or concocted to fool the eyes or senses--
The magician was an expert at making the illusion seem real.
They kept up the illusion of prosperity by using credit cards for everything.

Allusion or allusion ( uh loozh un ) means a reference to something, usually a literary or artistic work, a myth or a cultural convention, often made in passing or as part of a speech or poem--
They didn't understand the poet's allusion to the ancient myth.
The teacher's allusion to the popular video game helped the students understand the theme of the book.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"His allusion to the popular music video fostered the illusion that he was up on recent trends."

Note--"Allude" is the verb ( action word ) form of "allusion"--
The literature professor tried to allude to Shakespeare's plays at least once each day.

knit, nit

Knit or knit means the process of connecting yarn or thread by a series of  loops--
Her grandmother used to sit by the fire and knit.
She took a class to learn how to knit.
Knit may also mean the type of fabric made by knitting--
The fabric used to make t-shirts and sweatshirts is a type of knit.
Many knit fabrics will unravel if you pull on a thread.

Nit or nit ( rhymes with knit ) means the egg of an insect, usually meaning the egg of a louse--
He thought he saw a nit in his hair, so he went home and soaked his head.
You'll have to spray the dog for fleas again next week, in case any nits have hatched.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"She used real wool to knit sweaters, but always inspected it to make sure there wasn't one nit in the yarn."

Note--a "nit wit" is a thoughtless or silly person--
"Why am I such a nit wit?"
Note # 2--to "nit pick" means to find tiny or imaginary faults in something--
I think it looks fine. Don't nit pick.
Note # 3--bones that are broken are said to "knit" when they are getting better--
He felt an itch when his broken bone started to knit.
Note # 4--to "knit" one's brow means to make a face with a wrinkled forehead--
His brow was knit in concentration.

moose, mousse

Moose or moose means the ungainly animal with large antlers seen at the beginning of "Northern Exposure"--
We saw a moose while on vacation in Alaska.
He stepped on the brakes when he saw the moose in the road.

Mousse or mousse ( rhymes with moose ) means the fluffy dessert, or a type of fluffy hair dressing--
We are having chocolate mousse for dessert.
She put so much mousse in her hair that it looked plastered to her head.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"We  made a chocolate mousse in the shape of a moose in honor of our trip to Maine."

Note--not to be confused with "mouse" ( rhymes with house ), the small creature that may be caught by the cat if it gets in a house--
Their cat caught a mouse last week.

wail, whale, wale

Wail or wail means a loud piercing cry--
The dog let out a wail when his tail got caught in the door.
The strange wail made them wonder what lived in the woods.
Wail may also be used as a verb ( action word )--
Don't wail like that unless something is wrong!
Banshees are said to wail in the night.

Whale or whale ( rhymes with wail ) means the giant sea creature, like the one that swallowed Jonah and Gepetto--
Moby Dick is the story of a white whale.
People once used whale oil for the lamps in their home.

Wale or wale ( rhymes with wail ) means a stripe or ridge, as in some fabric or wooden structures--
The baby like to feel the wale of his corduroy overalls.
The gun wale of a wooden ship was reinforced to keep the gun from breaking through the wood.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"When he heard the wail, he leaned over the gun wale, hoping to sight a whale."

Note--you may find "whale" used as a verb ( action word ), meaning to hunt whales--
Many people in 19th-century New England made their living from whaling.
Some of their ancestors were whalers.
Note # 2--"Wales", always capitalized, is the proper name of a place, a part of Great Britain--
The oldest son of the British monarch is the Prince of Wales.
Not to be confused with "wales", the plural ( more than one ) form of "wale"--
We need to reinforce the gunwales if we are going to fire these old cannons.
Not to be confused with "whales"--the plural ( more than one ) form of "whale"--
We could see several whales from where we stood on the shore.
Not to be confused with "wails", the third person singular ( he, she, it ) form of "wail"--
The neighbor's new baby wails late at night. 

current, currant

Current or current means the flow or movement of a river or stream--
It's hard to swim against the current.
The current of a stream can still be used to power a mill wheel.
Current also means up-to-date, or happening in the present, not the past--
Our teacher asked us to bring a newspaper article to class, to discuss current events.
There are several current theories about the recent crime wave.

Currant or currant means a kind of berry used in baked goods and liqueurs--
Creme de cassis is flavored with currants.
The bakery had currant buns in the window.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The current fashion calls for herbal tea and currant scones for brunch."

Note--"concurrent" means happening at the same time ( as another incident or event )--
 The sale was designed to be concurrent with the promotion of the new model.
Note # 2--"currently" means at the present time--
"We are currently experiencing difficulties with our computer system."
Note # 3--"currency" means money--present day, currently circulating paper money--
It isn't safe to transport large amounts of currency.

slow, sloe

Slow or slow describes a person or thing taking more than the usual amount of time for an action or function--
What time is it? My watch is slow.
Pay attention. There's a "SLOW" sign up ahead.

Sloe or sloe ( rhymes with slow ) means a currant--a kind of a berry used in cakes and liqueurs--
Sloe gin is made with blackcurrants.
Sloe-eyed means having dark eyes, especially where that is not common.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The recipe for sloe preserves calls for very slow cooking."

Note--"slowly" is an adverb--it describes a verb, or an action--
Must you walk so slowly? We'll never get there.
The boat glided slowly over the water.

muscle, mussel

Muscle or muscle means the body tissue that produces movement when we flex it, expand it or contract it--
Diet and exercise are meant to increase muscle and decrease fat.
She pulled a muscle working out, and has to take a few days off.
Her muscles ached after the long walk.

Mussel or mussel ( rhymes with muscle ) means the small dark blue or black teardrop-shaped creature that has two shells, like a clam or an oyster--
Mussels in red sauce are a local specialty.
He found a mussel shell on the beach and used it to dig a moat for the sand castle.
"Crying cockles and mussels, alive, alive oh..."

Now that you know that, you can say--
"If you want to open the mussel shell, you have to cut through the muscle at the hinge."

Note--to "muscle" your way means to push and shove--
He muscled his way through the crowd.
To be "muscled" or "well-muscled" means to have prominent muscles, or to be muscular--
The body builders were all very muscular looking.
The body builders all looked well muscled.

cash, cache

Cash or cash means money--the green kind with the pictures of Americans of the past on it--
I need to stop at an ATM to get some cash.
We're out of cash, and this store doesn't accept credit cards.
Cash may be used as a verb ( action word ), meaning to present a check to a bank for cash--
He stopped at the bank to cash his paycheck.
Ask the teller if you can cash a check.

Cache or cache ( rhymes with cash ) means to hide in a secret place. Cache also means the secret place in which things are hidden, or the things hidden in the secret place--
He decided to cache the valuables in the chimney.
It took all night to find the cache where they had hidden the loot.
The burglars never found the cache of jewelry hidden under the floor.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Using the oven as a cache for the cash was a bad idea, they decided, when they heard the smoke alarm."

Note--"cashed" is the past tense of the verb ( action word ) "cash", meaning someone took a check to the bank to redeem it for cash--
I cashed my check on Friday.
"Cached" is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) of "cache", meaning hidden--
He cached the stuff where no one will find it.

Note # 2--"cashes" is the third person singular ( he, she, it ) form of "cash", meaning to redeem for cash--
He cashes his check on Fridays.
"Caches" may mean the plural ( more than one ) of  "cache", or it may be the he, she, it form of "cache"--
There are several caches of stolen goods in this house.
Or  "caches"  may be the third person singular ( he, she, it )  form of "cache"--
He caches his loot in the floorboards.

sore, soar

Sore or sore describes a tender or aching body part, as from a recent injury, surgery, or overexertion--
She tried jogging, but it made her feet sore.
His arm is still sore from the shot the doctor gave him
Sore is also a noun ( thing or idea ), meaning a blister or infected spot--
She had a sore on her foot from her new shoes.
The bee sting left a sore that burned for days.

Soar or soar ( rhymes with sore ) means to glide through the air. A plane or a bird may soar--
He used binoculars to watch the falcon soar into the distance.
They watched until they saw the plane soar into the clouds.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"I have been watching those eagles soar for hours, wondering if their wings ever get sore."

Note--a "sore spot" may be figurative, as in the thing your friend doesn't like to hear mentioned--
Don't talk about work with him--it's a sore spot.
Note # 2--to "be sore" is out of date slang for to be angry--
Gee, Mom and Dad will be sore when we get home.

tied, tide

Tied or tied is the past ( yesterday, or some time ago ) form of "tie", meaning to secure with a knot or bow--
We tied some balloons to the mailbox so our guests will be able to find the house.
I tied my shoelace in a knot, and I can't work it loose.

Tide or tide ( rhymes with tied ) means the cyclical movement of the oceans, measured by how far up the beach the water rises--
They waited for low tide to dig for clams.
When the tide is high, we'll leave to go fishing.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"We tied up the boat at high tide, and when the tide went out it keeled over."

Note--the ocean's tide may be in or out, low or high, and even "ebb" or "neap"--
We'll leave when the tide's in.
Is the tide in? No it's out.
Not to be confused with something that is "tied in"--
This product is tied in with that new TV show.

oversees , overseas

Oversees or oversees is the third person singular ( he, she, it ) form of  "oversee", meaning to supervise or to be in charge of--
Our supervisor oversees all of that type of work.
That man oversees all of the company's manufacturing.

Overseas or overseas ( rhymes with oversees ) means someplace that is across the ocean from the United States--
It cost a small fortune to have everything shipped overseas when they moved to France.
He spent four years in the army, but was never sent overseas.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He oversees all of our firm's overseas shipping."

Note--"over the sea" means sailing on the ocean, or traveling across it--
They thought their boat might take them over the sea, and liked to plan for the trip.